Movie Review : Antara Dua Darjat

Song title: Getaran Jiwa

Singer: P. Ramlee

Getaran jiwa

Melanda hatiku

Tersusun nada

Irama dan lagu

Walau hanya sederhana

Tetapi tak mengapa

Moga dapat membangkitkan

Sedarlah kamu wahai insan

Tak mungkin hilang

Irama dan lagu

Bagaikan kembang

Sentiasa bermadu

Andai dipisah

Lagu dan irama

Lemah tiada berjiwa

Hampa

Movie poster : Antara Dua Darjat

Antara Dua Darjat is a 1960 malay film directed, written and acted by the very famous Malaysia’s legendary artist, Allayarham Tan Sri P. Ramlee. The original story and screenplay of the film was also written along by Omar Rojik. The song above, “Getaran Jiwa” is the theme song of the film and the song is quite well known up until today as one of the best malay evergreen song. The main actor and actresses in this film are P. Ramlee as Ghazali, Saadiah as Tengku Zaleha, S. Kadarisman as Tengku Mukri, S. Shamsuddin as Sudin, Yusof Latiff as Tengku Aziz, and Ahmad Nisfu as Tengku Karim.

The scene where Ghazali flashback his past

I love this movie because I think this is among the first Malay movie that used flashback to tell a story and P. Ramlee have done an excellent job. The starting of the film shows the present at a villa named Orchid Villa where it was during heavy rain weather, the villa which have abandoned empty for a long time visited by the honeymooners, Tengku Mukri and Tengku Zaleha. They were accompanied by Dr. Tengku Aziz, a good friend of Tengku Mukri.

The situation at the villa became a chaotic when the maid and followed by Tengku Zaleha saw a human figure ghost outside of the house. The real situation is the ghost is actually Ghazali who came and wanted to determine if the woman in the villa is really Tengku Zaleha or not.

After the incident happened, Ghazali went back home where he lives there with his mother and cousin named Sudin. That night, Ghazali was scolded by Sudin where Sudin told him that the woman that he saw in the villa is not Tengku Zaleha because Tengku Zaleha is dead. Ghazali disbelieve what Sudin had mentioned and this is the moment where he flashback his past with Tengku Zaleha.

The scene of the first time where Tengku Zaleha met Ghazali

From Ghazali’s flashback, he started his story remembering the first time he met Tengku Zaleha where the love sparks started when he and his friends helped to push the car that Tengku Zaleha sink into mud due to the heavy rain. They met again for the second time at Tengku Zaleha’s birthday party where Ghazali performs with his other band members. The next day, they accidently met in the village where Ghazali was sitting on a bench under a tree and Tengku Zaleha is picking up some fresh flowers.

Once back home, Tengku Zaleha mentioned to his father, Tengku Karim on her interest in learning the piano. Tengku Karim hired a tutor for his daughter and it turns out that the tutor is Ghazali. From that moment, Tengku Zaleha and Ghazali became close and put their relationship to a serious level. However, their relationship got hindrance from the father where Ghazali got beaten by a group of men that Tengku Karim and his son ordered.

The scene of Sudin saw Tengku Zaleha's body

From Sudin’s flashback, the night where Tengku Zaleha got separated with Ghazali, Sudin was at home writing letter. Then, he heard somebody is calling him from the outside and it was Putih, maid of the Tengku’s family. Putih told him that Ghazali was beaten and without a doubt, Sudin called along his men and rush to the incident place. They found Ghazali at the bottom of the hill and brought him back home. Thus, Sudin and several men went to the villa and saw Tengku Zaleha was already dead and her body was brought into the ambulance. This is why Sudin is so sure that Tengku Zaleha is dead.

The chaotic scene between Tengku Hassan, Tengku Karim and Ghazali

From Tengku Zaleha’s flashback, after got separated with Ghazali, she was forced to be injected by the doctor so she would be paralysed and seems like she is dead like what Sudin saw. After being injected, Zaleha woke up and realised herself in Singapore. In Singapore, Tengku Hassan had an argument with Yang Chik, Tengku Zaleha’s mother and he killed the mother.


It was another chaotic moment and Tengku Hassan got arrested while Tengku Karim got admitted into the psychiatric hospital due to the death of his wife. Not long after, Tengku Zaleha got married to Tengku Mukri who his family has been closed to her family since the beginning.

Fighting scene between Ghazali and Tengku Mukri

Back to the present, Tengku Aziz found out about the past relationship of Tengku Zaleha and Ghazali. He talked about it to Tengku Mukri but Tengku Mukri got real mad and tends to kill Tengku Aziz. After the killing attempt, Tengku Mukri made a chaotic situation where he shot Ghazali but Ghazali luckily survived and fights him back. While they were struggling fighting with each other, Tengku Aziz came and shot Tengku Mukri without a doubt and that ends the fight between the two of them. The death of Tengku Mukri seems to unite the long lost love between Ghazali and Tengku Zaleha.

One of the most romantic scenes in the movie

I think this movie is good to be watch by families since nowadays there are still parents who are overly strict and protective on their children which cause the children to be rebellious. I think that this movie would make the parents and the children thinks on the best way to communicate with each other and discuss if something is not in the same page between both of them. Plus, the movie reminds us that love is not all about status and names but it is all about honesty and good heart. The message of the movie is still relevant up until today.

Ghazali and his band members at Tengku Zaleha's birthday party

From what I have overall seen from this movie is the versatility of P. Ramlee. He could direct, write, act and sings at the same time and this is what generation nowadays should take example of. Apart from that, what I feel impress about the movie is their costumes. I am impress with some of the high class and beautiful suits and dresses in the part of Tengku Zaleha’s birthday party. Never that I knew, that kind of clothing had already existed back then in Malaysia. The casts are all well-suit and looks beautiful.

Malaysian directors and artist these days should have appreciate this movie by studies the idea that P. Ramlee has bought into the movie and the beautiful music that he had offered. For me, Antara Dua Darjat is a tragedy comedy with a happy ending movie.